Calming Essential Oils to Ease Your Stress and Anxiety

Life’s stressful and we could all use a little peace. Many don’t know calming essential oils can help them find peace in even the most stressful of times.

It took more than 150 years for the medical world to embrace essential oils and aromatherapy. The French chemist, M.J. Dumas, was first to study constituents of essential oils. It has only been the past 25+ years essential oils have become part of mainstream medicine.

Their benefits are now researched and have therapeutic applications around the world. Essential oils are beneficial for every system of the body. Its included in therapies for everyone from cardiac patients to psychiatric patients.

Aromatherapy’s used in some Emergency waiting rooms and Intensive Care units. It helps in reducing anxiety. Essential oils have been studied with cancer patients and palliative individuals. They show promise for burn victims and chronic pain clients.

Keep reading to find out the best choices for calming essential oils to help relieve your stress.

How Do You Use Calming Essential Oils

There are a variety of ways to use essential oils:

blend oils (such as lavender and coconut or almond) and rub on a neck or other affected body part

add drops of oil to a bath

add to a cold or hot compress

add to a diffuser or simmer on the stove

place on a cotton ball and place in air vents

mix with water and spray mist on clothes, furniture, etc

place a sachet of essential oils near you

add to lotions or massage oils and apply

some essential oils can be for cooking, for smoothies or drinks and added to yogurt or applesauce. (research what concentration is appropriate and use caution when ingesting)

Lavender Oil

Lavender has been used for hundreds of years to help treat depression and anxiety. Used both internally and through an olfactory route, lavender’s proven beneficial in helping patients feel less anxious and to sleep better.

It was originally believed the smell was having psychological benefits not physiological results. Studies have shown it to be more than that.

Lavender oil shows promising results as being beneficial when taken orally. Several studies saw patients depression eased. The majority of participants reported sleeping better. They showed fewer signs of anxiety and an overall better sense of well-being.

Lavender essential oils are in many stress-relieving products. Bath salts or oils, body lotions, soaps, pillows, and linens come in lavender scent. Candles, room sprays, and diffusers all are available with lavender calming essential oils.

Lavender was shown in at least one study to lower heart rate, skin temperature, and blood pressure. It reduces stress, depression, and anxiety in mothers suffering from postpartum depression. It can help women going through menopause.

Many operating rooms use lavender to calm patients prior to surgical procedures.

Lavender is the most commonly researched essential oil. but certainly not the only one that can help relieve stress and reduce anxiety.

Bergamot Citrus

Five clinical studies show bergamot significantly reduces stress. It also lowers heart rate and blood pressure. It can help reduce pain enough to produce a change in brain wave patterns when studied with EEG.

Bergamot is a hybrid fruit most similar to a bitter orange or lemon and lime. These citrus fruit oils are beneficial in reducing stress and anxiety. Oranges and lemons have not produced the undeniable results of Citrus Bergamot.

Bergamot can be used to add flavor to foods. It is also known for antibacterial properties which make it popular in hand wash and lotions.

Jasmine Essential Oils

Jasmine literally will calm your nerves. It’s believed to calm your nervous system but without the side effect of making the user tired. Jasmine oil has proven to stimulate a sense of well-being and romance.

Jasmine can reduce pain, heal blemishes, and improve mental well-being. It has antiseptic and antidepressant qualities. It is also known for it’s antibacterial and antiviral properties.

Jasmine can be used in herbal tea, or in skin products and for aromatherapy. Jasmine tea is often sold as a weight loss aid. Its used in conjunction with antidepressants to alleviate depression.

Many use Jasmine oils in a diffuser or add a few drops straight from the bottle. It can be used on its own or in combination with other calming essential oils.

Stop to Smell the Roses

Stopping to smell the roses really can make you happier. Rose essential oils have shown promising results as an anxiety reliever. Extracted from the petals of roses, this oil can be added to unscented body care products. It produces a calming effect.

Soaking in a warm water and rose essential oil foot bath can calm the nerves and ease anxiety. This is true even at times of extreme pain and stress such as being in labor. A study in Tehran, Iran showed a lower anxiety level in expectant mothers given rose oil.

Clary Sage

This is not the sage you used to stuff the Christmas turkey. Clary sage is a woody herbal smelling oil known to calm anxiety and control cortisol levels. Cortisol is called the stress hormone. Lowering it will lower your feelings of stress.

Clary Sage calming essential oils can help relieve PMS symptoms and menstrual cramps. It is also helpful in treating effects of menopause.

It’s a popular choice for skin conditions and keeping skin healthy. It’s been used to attempt to control cellulite and acne.

Most often inhaled to reduce anxiety the oil can also be rubbed on the skin either alone or in an infused lotion.

Don’t Worry Be Happy

Life is stressful but you don’t have to feel stressed by it. Using calming essential oils can bring you peace and a sense of well-being.

There’s an oil that’s the right fit for you. Using one or all of these essential oils can help you feel happier and healthier.

Check out our blog to learn more about how essential oils can change your life for the better.